{"id":11831,"date":"2025-08-20T11:45:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T15:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/?p=11831"},"modified":"2026-09-03T14:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:23:53","slug":"create-accessible-docs-in-blackboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/2025\/08\/20\/create-accessible-docs-in-blackboard\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing for All: Create Accessible Docs in Blackboard"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Get in the Habit<\/h2>\n<p>What if designing accessible Blackboard documents became a seamless part of your workflow, enhancing learning for all\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0saving you time? It\u2019s more than your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/help.blackboard.com\/Ally\/Ally_for_LMS\/Instructor\/Accessibility_Scores\">Ally Accessibility Score<\/a>; it\u2019s about proactive attention to accessibility best practices. This tutorial will show you how to apply digital accessibility to document creation in Blackboard.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How to Do It<\/h2>\n<p>Create a Blackboard document and use the Content Editor to format headers in order. Begin with Title format, then Header, then Subheader to convey section names. Use Paragraph for any plain text. Watch our video tutorial on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loom.com\/share\/c7cb1b8a9cd94bc0a92630b42e7d519d\">Structuring Content in Blackboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Blackboard\u2019s Content Editor<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12057 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/files\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2026-03-25-104318.png\" alt=\"header format--title, header, subheader, paragraph\" width=\"1164\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/files\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2026-03-25-104318.png 1164w, https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/files\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2026-03-25-104318-300x69.png 300w, https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/files\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2026-03-25-104318-1024x236.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1164px) 100vw, 1164px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Why This Habit Matters<\/h2>\n<p>Ensuring your Blackboard Ultra documents are accessible is crucial for providing an equitable learning experience. Accessible documents reduce barriers for students using assistive technologies like screen readers, improve readability for everyone, and minimize the need for individual accommodations. By proactively designing for accessibility, you align with Marshall University\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/online\/digital-accessibility-and-universal-design-for-learning\/\">\u00a0commitment to digital accessibility<\/a>, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/h-o-m-e-at-marshall\/\">H.O.M.E. Framework<\/a>, and the principles of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/universal-design-for-learning\/\">Universal Design for Learning (UDL)<\/a>, creating a more impactful environment for all.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Applying Accessibility Practices to a Blackboard Doc<\/h2>\n<p>The following practices are based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/WCAG21\/\">WCAG digital accessibility standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Format headings<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Headings:<\/b>\u00a0Use built-in heading styles (Title, Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) in your content editor within Blackboard Ultra to create a logical hierarchy. Screen readers use these to navigate.<\/li>\n<li><b>Lists:<\/b>\u00a0Utilize numbered and bulleted lists to chunk information.<\/li>\n<li><b>Paragraphs:<\/b>\u00a0Keep paragraphs concise and use appropriate spacing. Avoid using multiple spaces or tabs for indentation; instead, use paragraph formatting options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Check color use<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Sufficient Contrast:<\/b> Ensure there is adequate color contrast between text and background in images. Blackboard purposefully limits color options to support accessibility.<\/li>\n<li><b>Color for Emphasis:<\/b>\u00a0If using color to highlight information, also use another visual cue (e.g., bolding, underlining, or an icon) to ensure the information is accessible to individuals who are colorblind or using black-and-white displays. The color options for text in Blackboard are limited in response to accessibility concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Add alt text to images<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Descriptive Alt Text:<\/b> Provide concise and descriptive alternative text for all meaningful images, charts, and graphs. This allows screen readers to convey the visual information. When using Blackboard\u2019s stock images or image generation, alt text is often automatically generated and can be edited.<\/li>\n<li><b>Decorative Images:<\/b>\u00a0For purely decorative images that convey no information, mark them as decorative.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Use hyperlinks with descriptive text<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Descriptive Link Text:<\/b> Use clear, descriptive link text that indicates the purpose or destination of the link (e.g., \u201cLearn more about WCAG guidelines\u201d instead of \u201cClick here\u201d) so that users navigating with assistive technology know where the link will take them.<\/li>\n<li><b>Avoid URLs as Text:<\/b>\u00a0Do not paste raw URLs as link text. Since screen readers will read the URL letter by letter, this distracts from the actual content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Use easily searchable titles and headings<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Clear and Concise:<\/b> Use semantic titles that clearly convey the content of a document or section.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Format table header rows<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Identify Header Rows\/Columns:<\/b>\u00a0For data tables, check Header Row and\/or Header Columns to allow screen readers to understand the relationship between headers and data cells.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3255 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/online\/files\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-01-090914.png\" alt=\"Screen shot of Header Row in a table\" width=\"754\" height=\"292\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"herdpress-block--green herdpress-basic--plain isolate herdpress-basic py-12 lg:py-16 \">\n<div class=\"max-w-5xl mx-auto mx-auto rounded-lg bg-white ring-4 ring-inset ring-gray-900\/10 py-10 px-12\">\n<div class=\"max-w-4xl \">\n<h2>AI Tip<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"w-full mx-auto\">\n<div class=\"mt-6 \">\n<div class=\"text-gray-700!\">\n<p>Check your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/help.blackboard.com\/Learn\/Instructor\/Ultra\/Accessibility\/Ultra_accessibility_checker\">Ally Accessibility Score<\/a> to test the accessibility of your Ultra documents. Ally can help you fix issues with headings and color contrast, as well as auto-generate alt text for images.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"w-full xl:container mx-auto px-6\">\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Additional Resources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/help.blackboard.com\/Learn\/Instructor\/Ultra\/Course_Content\/Create_Content\/Create_Course_Materials\/Create_Content_Items_or_Documents#ultra_document\">Ultra Documents<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Learn more about how to create dynamic Ultra documents with a mixture of text, attachments, and multimedia.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/online\/digital-accessibility-and-universal-design-for-learning\/\">Marshall Online: Digital Accessibility and UDL<\/a>: This page contains accessibility information, resources, and services at Marshall University. You can also explore other habits that support digital accessibility and UDL in our Designing for All, Habit by Habit Series. Since accessibility laws are dynamic and nuanced, these recommendations (updated Aug. 2025) may not reflect the latest updates and should not replace legal advice. For legal questions about accessibility at Marshall University, reach out to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Office of Accessibility and Accommodations.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"max-w-4xl \">\n<h2>Designing for All, Habit by Habit Series<\/h2>\n<p><em>This is a part of Marshall Online&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/online\/digital-accessibility-and-universal-design-for-learning\/\">\u201cDesigning for All, Habit by Habit\u201d<\/a> initiative, our way of making accessibility a core part of the workflow. We believe that small, consistent actions \u2013 practical design habits \u2013 lead to big, positive changes over time. By incorporating digital accessibility standards and UDL principles, we\u2019re building a more inclusive digital experience, one habit at a time.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get in the Habit What if designing accessible Blackboard documents became a seamless part of your workflow, enhancing learning for all\u00a0and\u00a0saving you time? It\u2019s more than your\u00a0Ally Accessibility Score; it\u2019s about proactive attention to accessibility best practices. This tutorial will show you how to apply digital accessibility to document creation in Blackboard. &nbsp; How to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1009,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[117],"class_list":["post-11831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-accessibility"],"acf":[],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11831"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11840,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11831\/revisions\/11840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/design-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}